Switch-operating device.



No. 690,459. Patented 1an; 7, 1902.

E. L. FENCE. 4 SWITCH OPERATING DEVICE.

(Applicati'cm1 l-ed Jul'y 17, 1901.1

Y (NovMndel.) ZSheetS-Sheet 2.

I l a f 7Inllnu y 1 W. y hfmzys UNITED STATES.

PATENT FFICJE".

EDlVARD L. PENCE, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

SWITCH-OPERATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,459, dated January 7, 1902.

Application iiled J'uly 17, 190]..

T (ou whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. FENCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee,have invented a new and useful Switch- Operating Device, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to devices for operating railway-switches by the action of the passing train; and it consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter shown and described, and specificall'y pointed out in the claims.

In the d-rawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, foresh'ortened, of a section of a railway-track and a switch with the improvement attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail of a portion of the apparatus in section on the line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. v3 is an enlarged transverse sectional detail of the trip mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view, of the switch-bar-lockin g mechanism.

This device may be applied to any ordinary form of railway-switch, and for the purpose of illustration I have shown it in the drawings applied to an ordinary split switch, 1 and 2 representing the main rails, 3 and 4 the switch-rails, and 5 -t-he ties.

Connected to the points of the switchrails 3 and 4 isa switch-bar 6 and extending beyond the rail 2. The outer end of thevbar 6 is slidably connected to a bar 7, as by a-slot A8 in the bar 7 and a bolt 9 vin the bar 6 and extending through the slot, the slot being in.- dicated by-dotted lines in Figs. 4 and 5. Attached rigidly to the outer end of the bar 7 is another bar 10, in alinement with the bars V6 and 7,and to the outer or free end of the bar 10 the ordinary switch-operating means will be applied, this latter mechanism not being shown. The length of the slot 8 will equal the throw of the switch-points, so that the bar 6 will be free to move to adistance equal to the throw of the switch independently of the bars 7 and 10. .Attached rigidly to the adjacent ends of the bars 6 and 10 are plates Serial No. 68,643. (No model.)

y intermediate of its lower side, adapted to en- 13 when the adjacent Aends of the bars 6 and.

10 are brought together. The portion of the bars 17 beyond the cavity 18 rests upon the ends of' the stud 15, as shown invFig. 3, so that when the two bars 6 and 10 are separated the bars 17 are quiescent; but when the bar 6 is forced toward the bar 10 the stud 15 will pass beneath the bars 17 and the latter will drop down with its cavities 18 engaging the stud 15, and thus lock7 thetwo bars 6 and 10 together. A spring 19 is arranged to keep the lock-bars 17 normally in contact with the stud 15, and thus insure their positive action and prevent accidental displacement. Y

2O is a iat curved spring engaging the studs and 16 by its ends `and exerting its force to maintain the bar 6 normally in its outward position or to keep the switch normally open.

Supported adjacent to the rails 1 and 2 at a suitable distance away from the switchpoints to insure the action of the device is a mechanism adapted to be actuated by the advancing train to throw the switch when it is left open, and this mechanism consists in a preferably vertical shaft 23, having two right-angled arms 24 25, the shaft being suitably supported at its lower end by a frame .26, attached to two orv more of the ties 5, as

the ties 5, and will be in the form of a vertical web upon whose upper edge the arm 24 rests, the rib thereby7 forming a support for the arm and to prevent it from sagging downward or from being forced downward by the contact of the force which actuates it. The upper end of the shaft 23 will be supported by brace 30, as shown, the brace having 'a third leg a, connected to one of the ties 5.

31 is a rod supported transversely of' the rails 1 and 2 and with one end 32 turned off at right angles and adapted to be engaged by the arm 25, as shown in Fig. 1. The rod 3l is disposed slidably with reference to the rails 1 and 2 and retained in place by keeper vated when required.

34 and pivotally connected by its outer end at 35 to one end of a long lever 36, the lever being pivoted at 37 preferably to one of the ties 5 and pivotally connected at 38 to the switch-bar 6, as shown. By this means it will be readily understood if the arm 24 be moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 the switch will be thrown by the coaction of the bar 31 32 and the lever 36 and switch-bar 6 and automatically locked closed by the locking meansbefore described. When the switch is to be reopened, the spring 2O will instantaneously open the switch upon the reshown in Figs. l and 2, consisting of a triparm 39, pivoted at 40 to some part of the framework of the moving train and with one arm 41 projecting downward into the path of arm 24, so that as the train passes the end 41 will engage the arm 24 and actuate the mechanism, and thereby close the switch, as above noted. The lowerside of the trip-arm 39 is inclined upward and backward,as shown, so that when moving in the opposite direction the trip will pass over the arm 24 without effect. The trip 39 will generally be connected into the base-frame 42 of the pilot 43 of the locomotive, as shown in Figs 1 and.2, but may be located upon other parts of the locomotive or one of the cars, as may be found advantageous. The frame 26 and its attachments will be located sufficiently far from the points of the switch to give ample time for the safe action of lthe mechanism, and this distance may be varied to suit circumstances.-

The trip-arm 23 24 may be located outside the rails, if required, and the connecting means between the bars 6 and 3l may be modified without affecting my invention or its mode of operation or the results produced.

The frame 26 will be provided with stops 44, preferably covered with rubber, to limit the throw of the lever-arm 24 and prevent its being thrown too far around. The trip 39 will preferably be provided with a lifting-rod, as at 45, by which the trip may be lifted when not required.

The outer or free ends of the lock-bars 17 will be connected by a loop or bail 1'7n to afford means whereby the bars may be readily ele- The loop will be long enough to enable a bar to be inserted beneath it across the top of the flat spring 2 thus using the spring asa fulcrum to enable the lock-bars to be forcefully elevated.

What is claimed is- 1. Inaswitch-operatingapparatus,aswitch, a switch-barconnected to the points of said switch, yield-able means for maintaining said points in one of their positions, a lever-arm projecting into the path of the moving train, a bar slidabl y disposed in relation to said lever-arm and adapted to be actuated thereby, means including locking mechanism connecting said slidable bar to said switch-bar, and

means upon the moving train for actuating said lever-arm, whereby the switch will be actuated in advance of the moving train, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In aswitch-operatingapparatus,aswitch, a switch-bar connected to the points 7 of said switch, yieldable means for Amaintaining said points in one of their positions, means for locking said switch when thrown, a lever-arm projecting into thepath of the moving train, a bar slidably disposed in relation to said lever-arm and adapted to be actuated thereby, means including automatically operating locking mechanism connecting said slidable bar to said switch-bar, and means upon the moving train for actuating said lever-arm, whereby the switch will be actuated in ad- Vance of the moving train, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a switch-operating apparatus,a switch,- a switch-bar connected to the switch-points and formed in two slidably-disposed parts with a spring adapted to keep said parts normally separated, a locking means disposed to lock said separated parts together when closed, means adapted to be actuated by the passing train to operate said slidable member of said switch-bar, whereby said switch may be thrown in advance of the moving train and locked in its thrown position, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a switch-operating apparatus,a switch, a switch-bar section connected by oneend to the switch-points, a coupling-bar connected slidably to the opposite end of said switch-bar section, a second switch-bar section connected to the opposite endof said coupling-bar section, a spring disposed to maintain said slidable section iu its extended position, a locking means connected to said sectional switchbar and adapted to automatically lock said slidable section in its closed relation to said second switch-bar section, and means adapted to be actuatedby the passing train to operate said slidable section to throw the switch in advance of the train and lock the switch in the position thrown, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a switch-operating apparatus,a switch,`A

means for maintaining said switch in one of its positions, a-shaft revolubly supported adjacent to the path of the moving train, an arm connected to said shaft and projecting into thepath of the moving train, a second arm connected to said shaft, a bar slidably supported with relation to said lever-arms and shaft and with a right-angled projection adapted to be engaged by said second arm, and means whereby said slidable bar may actuate said switch when operated and lock the switch in the position to which it is thrown,- substantially as shown and described.

6. In a switch-operating apparatus,a switch, automatically-operating means for maintaining said switch in open position, a shaft revolubly supported adjacent to the path of the moving train, an arm connected to said shaft Ioe ciuding locking mechanism connecting the lever-arm and the switch, a trip-lever pivoted 15 by one end to said train and adapted when depressed to engage said lever-arm, substantially as shown and described. t

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in 2o the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD L. FENCE.

Witnesses:

HUNSDON CARY, W. A. SPEAK. 

